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Best Recovery Machines

We need to purchase several new recovery machines for general every day use for commericial HVAC service.

Can anyone make a good recommendation for a machine for a service van?

Looking for a portable machine which is dependable and has a high capacity recovery rate. Tried several different types of machines the wholesalers are pushing, but they turn out to be junk w/ low recovery capacities and generate too many compliants from the service mechanics.

I like Promax

1) You need a dedicated set of hoses that have no schrader depressers in them.
Never recover through your manifold.

2) You should have a TEE on the recovery unit so you can hook two hoses to it, you can also have a TEE on the outlet if you want to fill more than one drum at a time.

3) Always have two valve core removers on hand that allow you to remove the schrader without recovering the charge, therefore you can use your hoses without depressers, that way everything is full flow.

4) Have a complete understanding of what push/pull is & how it works.
So many people do not understand this & they try to use push/pull & conclude that it does not work.
It does work, you just can't push/pull through metering devices, compressors, check valves or a LLSV.
Most of the time, the vapor recovery method will work best on unitary products as long as you have a recovery machine that can handle some liquid when you adjust the restrictor valve down around 50 - 60 psi.

5) Last but not least, never under estimate ice or water for the recovery tank.
Ice is better, if you can't get ice, atleast use water.
Its worth the hassle everytime.

I have had it for about 1 year now . I was the first tech in our shop to buy one and now the boss has bought them for everyone . I have probobally pumped 5,000lbs of liquid refrigerant through it , charging and recovering and I have never had a problem with it . I have clocked it @ just over 7 lbs per minute while charging or recovering liquid .

Before this one I had the CPS liquid pump and it sucked !! Biggest POS recovery unit I have ever used .

Like others that have posted I use the Appion G5 Twin. I have also run #1000's of pounds of refrigerant through it and it kicks a$$ everytime. One time it took about 45 seconds to pull 1 pound or R-11 out of an old Carrier 19C machine into a sample bottle. The machine was setting at 10" of vacuum. Another time I let a co-worker use it to pull #150 lbs. of R-134a out of a Carrier 30hxa used to make ice at an ice rink, his RG5410a machine was only making 1 lb every 8-10 minutes... Refrigerant temps were right around 0-5 degrees.

The direct suction is what makes it the best for our use. The oil doesn't wiped from the crank bearings with the introduction of liquid.

i have six of these

Originally Posted by refrtech

By far the fastest I have used !!

I have had it for about 1 year now . I was the first tech in our shop to buy one and now the boss has bought them for everyone . I have probobally pumped 5,000lbs of liquid refrigerant through it , charging and recovering and I have never had a problem with it . I have clocked it @ just over 7 lbs per minute while charging or recovering liquid .

Before this one I had the CPS liquid pump and it sucked !! Biggest POS recovery unit I have ever used .

Stick with the Appion , you will not be let down .

when you pull them on roof its the lighest on the market, and best one out there, i just finished two years on road warrenty work, we pumped out 1000 machines,i can supply pics, averaged 50 lbs per machine, only had two units go dwn on cracked copper lines, easy to fixthem up and keeped pumping. they r two cylinders, pump out alot of freon quick and draws down to low vacuum. great unit, i had used the promax(POS) THE CPS HEAVY AS BRICK AL BOXES THAT WEAR OUT, breaks rods and doesnt pump down

1) You need a dedicated set of hoses that have no schrader depressers in them.
Never recover through your manifold.

2) You should have a TEE on the recovery unit so you can hook two hoses to it, you can also have a TEE on the outlet if you want to fill more than one drum at a time.

3) Always have two valve core removers on hand that allow you to remove the schrader without recovering the charge, therefore you can use your hoses without depressers, that way everything is full flow.

4) Have a complete understanding of what push/pull is & how it works.
So many people do not understand this & they try to use push/pull & conclude that it does not work.
It does work, you just can't push/pull through metering devices, compressors, check valves or a LLSV.
Most of the time, the vapor recovery method will work best on unitary products as long as you have a recovery machine that can handle some liquid when you adjust the restrictor valve down around 50 - 60 psi.

5) Last but not least, never under estimate ice or water for the recovery tank.
Ice is better, if you can't get ice, atleast use water.
Its worth the hassle everytime.

Just curious as to why you say never recover using your manifold gauges. Not trying to argue, just want to know other technicians ways....I learn things that way. I never had any problem using my manifolds to recover. I have also heard people talk about taking cores out, using bigger hoses to recover...........less restriction and all but maybe I'm just a simple guy but I have recovered just fine. I, like the craze, use the Appion G5 Twin. I recently took 68 pounds out of a McQuay chiller in about 30 minutes or less I figure...didn't keep track but it was quick. I also like the thing because I can just turn it on and leave, I don't have to sit and adjust the throttle so the liquid wont hammer the dang things!

Just curious as to why you say never recover using your manifold gauges. Not trying to argue, just want to know other technicians ways....I learn things that way. I never had any problem using my manifolds to recover. I have also heard people talk about taking cores out, using bigger hoses to recover...........less restriction and all but maybe I'm just a simple guy but I have recovered just fine. I, like the craze, use the Appion G5 Twin. I recently took 68 pounds out of a McQuay chiller in about 30 minutes or less I figure...didn't keep track but it was quick. I also like the thing because I can just turn it on and leave, I don't have to sit and adjust the throttle so the liquid wont hammer the dang things!

Try to have MINIMUM number of restriction as possible when you recover/vacuum

It is like "sucking soda with small straw or large straw". Which one will require less work of your lungs?

Just Opinion,
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Cowpoke,
Please do not dig up old threads prior to November 2011 to ask questions or respond about them. The respondents may not have been vetted so we have no control over their posts. If you find information in an old thread, you as an equipment owner should start a new thread. You can copy the URL of the old thread and paste it into your initial post as a reference. Vetted Pros with their * can then respond to your query here.